


Ink's Lack of Tact

by AnxiousPerson



Series: Not Abandoned Just moved into An Actual Multi chaper fic!! [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Light swearing from characters, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Questionable Motives, Stalkerish behaviors, unsure feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27952955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiousPerson/pseuds/AnxiousPerson
Summary: Ink totally didn't steal Blue's book and isn't using it to try to be better friends with Error.
Relationships: Error/Ink, Ink/Error, Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Series: Not Abandoned Just moved into An Actual Multi chaper fic!! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148642
Kudos: 45





	Ink's Lack of Tact

**Author's Note:**

> (Edit) Just going back to fix grammar / spelling mistakes when I notice them. (IMPORTANT EDIT) The first part of the series is the credit to all the creators of their AUs.

There was a special sketchbook that Ink started getting into the habit of carrying everywhere with him. It held all his notes on Error. Everything he saw that affected Error positively or negatively, he wrote down to make sure he would never forget. He even drew pictures of some of the situations he saw and wrote brief summaries on what or why he thought Error held those reactions. So far, his favorite notes were the ones where Error would have a small smile when he thought no one was watching him. ~~Error won’t smile if Ink is near. A real shame.~~

Recently, he decided to ~~steal~~ borrow Blue’s manual “How to be the Best Friend Anyone Ever Had and More!” and used it for ideas. The first step he read was: talk to them daily to let them know someone cared for them. Of course, he had no problem following this step. At least once a day, he would try to find Error and ask how he was. Sometimes he couldn’t meet the quota but that was because Error was holed up in his home. ~~There was no way he was going back there. He didn’t want to meet any creators hanging around there again.~~

For the first few days Error was extremely hostile towards him so he researched a bit more on why that might be by asking some of his friends. Dream strongly suggested he tried scheduling days to visit or just letting the person know in advance if he was showing up. That made sense to him because he would show up unannounced quite frequently, so that had to be why Error was getting mad. Blue suggested something similar but also stressed the need for his multiple visits to be spaced out more. (“Ink, you shouldn’t visit the same person EVERY day. They need breaks too! At most, _starting_ friends visit each other maybe once a week. Wait no it might be less-”) He tuned the rest out because one week of not seeing Error was too much for him already. Red told him to just “ _fuck off shitstain_ ” and he didn’t appreciate that, so he stole all of Red’s chocolates. He was tempted to ask Nightmare, but he knew Dream would throw a fit if he bothered Nightmare about Error again. Cross was out of the question too since he was in Nightmare’s gang.

He thought if he got a calendar and asked Error’s what days he was free to hang out, they could do it. Error didn’t answer him; he just tore the calendar up and left. He sulked for three days without seeing Error. This worsened his mood.

The next time they saw each other was an actual accident. He was in Candytale to gather some sweets to drown his gloominess away and he caught Error with an armful of chocolate chunks from the AU residents’ homes. Error was so startled that he dropped all of his candy. He tried to pick it up for the glitch, but the moment he stood up, Error was gone. He kept the chocolates and drew how cute Error’s stunned face was. He might have filled up a whole sketchbook on his thoughts of Error in Candytale. He inferred that Error liked chocolate.

Step two: give them gifts! Well, Error seemed to like chocolate and he had a lot left over from Red’s stash. ~~He ate all the ones Error had gathered anyways.~~ He didn’t have the patience to wrap the chocolates in a gift box, he was too excited, so he threw them into a blue satchel. Error was getting better at hiding from him, yet it still took Ink a few days to find him in Outertale again by using his special app.

“Error! I got you a gift!” He yelled. Dream had told him that Error would appreciate it if Ink made his presence more known by calling out instead of appearing immediately.

Error groaned, “Just let me have a moment of peace for one fucking day. How are you finding me every time I step out of my home?”

Ink ignored the question. “Here! Take this.” He held out the blue bag towards Error. “I promise it’s nothing bad.”

Error eyed the bag with suspicion as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Why’d you have to promise that?”

“For your assurance.” He hurriedly added. “And because I care about you.”

Error’s face immediately scrunched up. “I don’t-”

Ink pressed the bag into Error’s arms. “Here! I got you some chocolate to replace the ones you left behind at Candytale.”

Grudgingly, Error opened the bag and was pleasantly surprised that Ink wasn’t lying to him. “Huh. I guess you can tell the truth sometimes.” He realized Ink was staring and it caused his glitches to flutter a bit more in front of him ~~in a failed attempt of covering him as a small shield~~. “I’m not going to say thank you. You did steal my chocolate after all. I’ll consider this an apology for your thievery.”

Error grabbed the bag and moved away from Ink’s outstretched arms. He pulled a chocolate bar out and noticed something. “Wait a second… Isn’t this Number Thirteen’s chocolate?”

Ink nodded as he held his hands behind his back to keep from waving them around in excitement because this was the first time Error tried to engage him in a normal conversation. “Yup! I stole it from Red because he wouldn’t listen to me.”

For the first time, Error grinned at something Ink said! Ink’s grip on his hands tightened; he felt the need to run around in joy. This was progress! His eyes changed to golden stars as his body vibrated with poorly concealed glee.

Error’s grin disappeared when he noticed Ink shaking and his hands behind his back. He didn’t know what the artist was thinking but he felt that he might be getting played for something. He wasn’t going to entertain Ink any longer. “You’re being more weird than usual.” He wondered if Ink was lying about giving him the chocolates. His grip tightened on the bag. “I’m leaving with these and you can’t stop me.”

Ink frowned. “I’m not going to stop you. Those were a gift Error.”

“Yeah, sure they were. Don’t expect me to give you anything back.” With those words, Error left.

“I… I wouldn’t expect you to give me anything back, but I really wish you would sometimes.” Ink smiled sadly. “I’ll keep trying anyways as per our promise.”

Third step: compliment them. Another easy one!

“Error, you’re so good at tying me up.” Casually said Ink as he was held up by Error’s strings like a Christmas decoration to a tree.

Error groaned and tightened the strings, “Don’t talk like that! It’s weird! You’re supposed to be mad. We’re fighting for fuck’s sakes!”

Ink tried to move his arms, but his movements were limited due to the strings tautly wrapped around him. “You know even though I can’t move much, this doesn’t really hurt either. I noticed that your attacks aren’t that painful anymore, but you are landing them. Just not with the same intent as back then. Have you been getting soft on me lately? Not that mind.” A sudden thought crossed his mind. “Are you holding back because we’re friends-”

“No dammit! Die!” Error denied as he summoned his Gaster Blasters and aimed them towards Ink. Despite Ink being unable to move much, the blasters only managed to burn off the strings that were above him, hanging him to the tree. Almost like they were purposely aimed towards the strings and not at him. Though they did hit the tree behind Ink and that did fall on him, but that didn’t do much damage to him.

Towards the end of that fight, Dream and Blue had to drag Ink away because he kept hurling questions to Error about his sudden change in how they fought. Error was screeching curses while Ink was giddy with his thoughts. How Ink wasn’t dead yet was a mystery to his friends. But they all agreed silently that lately the destroyer wasn’t as destructive or physically violent as he used to be, especially towards Ink. Maybe Ink was rubbing off on Error. They all hoped so.

Ink didn’t get to read step four. Blue confiscated the book from him after finding out the book was in his hands.

Blue scowled him, “You need to ask to borrow things! Do we need to have lessons on manners again?”

“No but-”

“No buts! Besides-” Blue turned his scowl at the book in his hands. “This book gives subpar advice on how to become best friends. Its advice is usually used for what not to do too much of, which I’m sure is what’s causing Error’s irritation lately.” He mumbled. “Its words hold too much power over someone like you.”

Ink spoke with a straight face, “Well, what should I do to get Error to notice me?”

Blue’s face immediately pinched in distress. “Don’t start your jokes right now. This is serious, Ink. I do understand you want to be Error’s friend, but this isn’t the way to do it.”

Before another intervention could happen again, Ink’s phone chirped a familiar tune. Ink had set this tune up for a certain app he had. An app where people from all over in the AUs reported sightings of Error to avoid him. ~~He made the app with some helpers and specifically blocked Dream and Blue so they couldn’t find it.~~ He hurriedly checked his phone for whatever he was alerted about.

Ink grinned as he talked, “Welp, I gotta go. See you later, Blue?”

Blue could feel something was off but didn’t have enough evidence to call him out on it. “Alright fine, but this better be the last time I have to talk to you about Error! Take care now.” He knew it wouldn’t be, but he could only hope.

Ink nodded as he waved and walked away from Blue. He made paint portal on the ground and jumped through it. He landed near where the posts said Error was spotted and hoped that he wasn’t too close, or Error would notice him. Error was right in front of him, glaring. His insane luck was at play again. ~~Crap.~~

Error huffed and turned away as he walked. Oh, so today was going to be a silent day where Error wouldn’t engage Ink in any form of acknowledgment, but he could follow the glitch around like a second shadow. Usually on days like this Error tended to pick a spot he liked, flop down, and do nothing. Error didn’t rest with Ink in the vicinity, but Ink liked to think that Error was still relaxing.

This time Error broke that routine. He stopped walking and turned to face his ~~former~~ enemy. "Ink, why are you so insistent on stalking me? I don't get what I did that made you act like this towards me." 

Ink blinked as he thought for a bit. The answer was obvious to him, yet he didn’t want to explain the full reason to Error. ~~What if Error tried to take it back?~~ He settled for a short answer, "Our promise."

"Promise...?" Error briefly remembered the two holding their pinkies together. He hated that he had to make the promise back then. He didn’t regret it and he wouldn’t ever change what he did to get Ink to snap out of his despair, but that promise felt somewhat forced on him in that circumstance. "That promise has nothing to do with-"

"I don't want to be useless and I want to continue living."

"That - that still doesn't have to do with any of this! I’m not going to-” Error huffed in frustration. “You know what! Forget it I'm leaving!" He stomped away and this time Ink didn’t try to follow him.

"I won't get killed by someone else and I won't ever let you think I'm useless." He smiled. "I will follow you to the ends of time. I'm glad that I remembered such a wonderful moment between us." He spoke softly as he thought fondly of his memories. The moment they made that promise was the start of Ink wanting to be more than just a friend to Error, though he still wasn’t too sure on what exactly he wanted. It was also, for better or worse, when Ink was given a gift from that ~~terrifying~~ creator. **~~“I can help you but ~...”~~** Black liquid slowly dripped from Ink’s closed mouth as he ~~bitterly~~ remembered her words. ~~Why wasn’t she something that he could forget? He wished his poor memory would erase her already, but it was fixed. Why did she fix it?~~ He needed a distraction to stop thinking about her.

Ink wiped the dribble from his mouth as he forced a smile. “I know! I can just make up my own ideas on how to befriend Error. They do say originality is the best!”

**Author's Note:**

> I swear on my life I meant to update this sooner but I just really struggled posting online due to my nerves. And then I just couldn't think for the life of me what to name this series or just give in and make it a multi-chapter fic, which would have been so much easier and less things I have to worry about. But multi-chapter fics... That just seems so unrealistic from me. Anyways thanks for reading!


End file.
